Organized by the African Cashew Alliance (ACA) and the West Africa Trade Hub, the first “Gambia Cashew Week” was held in Banjul, the Gambia, from 2 to 5 November. Eighty stakeholders from the cashew sector participated in the event.
The cashew industry was hailed for its potential to create new jobs and generate additional income through the production and processing of raw cashew nuts (RCN) thus highlighting the numerous opportunities that the cashew industry would offer in the Gambia.
The high yield per tree of the cashew crop as well as its high quality kernels is judged to be among the best in West Africa. This constitutes an excellent base for cashew production and processing in the Gambia.
Located in a strategic area that boasts of efficient transport infrastructure, the Gambia port is becoming a natural trade hub in the West Africa region. While the total production of RCN in the Gambia was estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 metric tons in 2010, the volume of RCN that was shipped from Banjul during the 2010 harvesting season was 67,000 metric tons.
“Starting small, going far” is the motto of the cashew stakeholders in The Gambia. “We want to exploit what we have and avoid repeating the errors that have been made by others in the past”, said Ram Mohan, a Gambian cashew trader and an ACA Executive Committee Member. He added that the cashew week was an excellent opportunity to sensitize policy makers and work with them to create a better environment for the cashew industry to grow.
In the course of the meeting, the stakeholders agreed on the Constitution of The Cashew Alliance for the Gambia (CAG), which would be launched officially by the end of this year. The CAG would be the platform for information exchange and advocacy for the cashew sector. Farmers associations that took part in the event expressed their willingness to unite under a single umbrella.
In the closing session, the delegates outlined the priorities for the development of the Gambia cashew industry based on the recommendations of the Maputo Declaration. This roadmap includes the preparation of the next ACA annual conference which will be hosted in Banjul. Download presentations below.
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